Around The World

Hatoyama told a news conference broadcast nationwide on Wednesday that he will step down over his broken campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

After eight months in office, the embattled prime minister has faced growing pressure from within his own party to resign ahead of July elections.

BRIEFLY ...

l MEXICO CITY - The mayor of Cancun was charged with drug trafficking ties Tuesday, forcing him to end his campaign for governor in a scandal that has shaken Mexico's upcoming state elections. A federal judge indicted Gregorio Sanchez on charges of organized crime and money laundering a week after he was arrested in Mexico's most important tourist resort.

l BAGHDAD - A Sunni-backed secular alliance that challenged Iraq's top Shiite leadership in parliamentary elections won a Supreme Court ruling Tuesday sealing its narrow edge over its closest rival, but still faced daunting odds of forming a government.

l KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban on Tuesday dismissed this week's national peace conference in Afghanistan even before it had begun, threatening death to the 1,600 delegates in cassette messages distributed by the insurgent leadership.

l ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani army declared victory over the Taliban in part of the tribal belt near Afghanistan, saying Tuesday that the military operation in the area is finished and civilians can expect to return home soon.

l GUATEMALA CITY - Rural villagers used hoes and pick axes to hunt for victims of landslides that have killed at least 179 people in Central America while officials in Guatemala's capital tried to cope with a vast sinkhole that swallowed a clothing factory.